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Johannesburg - The KwaZulu-Natal community safety
department should re-instate the drug intervention unit, the DA said on
Wednesday.

"I will be raising this matter at the next sitting
of the community safety portfolio," spokesperson on community safety
Rishigen Viranna said in a statement.

"It has become even more evident that this province
will never win the war against drugs unless the drug intervention units are
re-instated."

He said the SA Police Service had embarrassed themselves
and the province by reportedly bungling what they claimed was a R3bn heroin
bust in Kloof, Durban, two weeks ago.

"Experts who tested the seized drugs have now said that
police actually seized Mandrax valued at R20m. This is ridiculous and shows
that SAPS is short of the expertise needed to fully fight the drug scourge that
has engulfed this province," Viranna said.

Last month, drugs initially thought to be heroin were
discovered during a raid in the posh suburb of Kloof. Three men, aged 23, 55
and 56, were arrested.

National police commissioner Riah Phiyega said it was the
biggest drug laboratory ever found in the country.

Approximately 10 000kg of drugs were recovered. At the
time, Phiyega estimated the value of the haul at R3bn.

It was later reported that the drugs were methaqualone,
the base ingredient of Mandrax, rather than heroin.

Viranna said the case raised serious questions about the
state of police intelligence monitoring.

"I will be submitting questions to the legislature
to ascertain as to how this misguided episode happened to begin with," he
said.

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